The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-19
THE CRATswORrH WRECK.
Verdict Finding the Section Foreman
Guilty of Criminal Negligence.

A Verdict Finding the Section Foreman
Guilty of Criminal Negiigence.
CHATswoRTH. ILL.,, Aug. 1S.-The coroners
jury agreed verdict this morning, which
holds Timothy Coughlin. foreman of Section 7,
to the grand jury, and negatively exonerates the
company The management is not censured for
running double header. for a lax system of
track inspection. or for anything else The YER
dict simply says that the failure to patrol the
track for six hours before the train came. and
the habit of burning grass close to the track is
subject for criticism. The three or four friends
of the road on the jury had better staying quail
ties than the two three of those who wanted
to fix portion of the blame on the manage
ment.
Tim otby Coughlin, the secti foreman, was
promptly arrested, and will b. .llen to Pontiac,
the county-seat of Livingstone ounty. He says
he cannot give bail and will have to go to JAIL
He insists that the verdict is unjust that he
went over his entire section as ordered and
that fires were built as near the bridge as
Heald and Taggert testified The jury made
out separate verdcts for each of the victims.
Mrs. DR.. Duekett is the first name on the list
The following is the verdict Of the jury on her
death.
sin the matter of the inuuisition on the pody
of Mrs. DR.. Duckett, of Forest, ILL., deceased,
held at Chatsworth on the 11th day oe August.
A. ID. 1887. We. the undersigned Jurors, sworn
to inquire into the cause of the death of Mrs.
DIR. Duckett, late of Forest, ILL.,, oath do find
that she came to her death by injuries received
in the wreeking of the Niagara Falls excursion
train on the Toledo. Peoria e. Western railway,
on which she was passenger. at a bridge two
and one-half miles east of Chatsworth, about IL
o'clock, midnight, Wednesday, Aug 10. 1887. We
find that the wrecking of the said train, which to-
tally demolished eight coaches. one baggage
and one engine. and either killed wounded
most of the occupants of said coaches,
caused by said bridge having been burned out
before the train struck it. We think, from the
evidence that the bridge was fred from fires
left burning, which had been set as late as
o'clock that afternoon by the section men.
close as sixteen feet on both the east and west
sides of the brid ge. We further find that the
foreman Of Section 7. Timothy Coughlin, DISC
beyed positive orders from his superior to
anime the track and bridges on his
section the last thing on Wednesday, and we
find that he did not go over the two and
one-half miles at all on Wednesday, and that
the said foreman, Coughlin, was guilty of gross
and criminal careessness in leaving fires burn
ing along the track in such dry section and
with such strong wind blowing. We recon
mend that he be held for examination by the
grand jury; and further. it is the opinion of the
jury that the leaving of the track without being
patrolled for six hours before the passage of the
excursion, and the setting of fires by the section
men on such dry and windy day as the 10th
of August. 1887, were acts which deserve severe
criticism